title: The effect of dialect on speech audiometry testing.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In this study, the authors examined the validity of using materials from 2 nonregional yet mutually intelligible dialects to evaluate an individual's speech recognition threshold (SRT) and word recognition (WR) abilities and whether a speaker of 1 dialect could accurately administer and score materials in the other dialect.
  
  
  METHODS
  Previously created SRT and WR materials were presented to 32 Mandarin listeners with normal hearing: 16 speakers of Mainland Mandarin and 16 speakers of Taiwan Mandarin. Hearing abilities were examined using SRT and WR materials created for speakers from 2 different regional dialects. Presentation of the materials occurred during 2 test sessions, counterbalanced across material and listener dialect. Listener responses were evaluated by 2 judges; 1 spoke Mainland Mandarin, and the other spoke Taiwan Mandarin.
  
  
  RESULTS
  For the SRT and WR results, differences in listener performance were statistically significant across material and listener dialect, with threshold differences of less than 2 dB HL when collapsed across session. The interscorer percentage of agreement was 99.5% for SRT and 99.1% for WR testing.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Testing with materials in a different regional dialect does have a measurable impact on SRT and WR performance. However, this difference, though reliable, is small enough to have a negligible impact on clinical findings.
authors.forename: Shawn L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Nissen
authors.forename: Richard W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Harris
authors.forename: Ron W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Channell
authors.forename: Nathan E
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Richardson
authors.forename: Jamie A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Garlick
authors.forename: Dennis L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Eggett
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001302:Audiometry, Speech; D002681:China; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013069:Speech Reception Threshold Test; D013624:Taiwan; D055815:Young Adult